Hokusai, Paul Cézanne, Neil Jenney, 19th Korean Lotus Screen, Alan Sonfist, Edward Weston and others: Terrain

Since the earliest days of civilization, art has remained inseparable from the natural world. Humanity’s earliest artistic expressions emerged from an intimate relationship with the environment, reflecting both the necessity of nature for survival and its profound spiritual significance. Across historical periods, the landscape has served as an enduring source of inspiration, understood variably as a manifestation of the divine, a symbol of harmony, and a space for contemplation. Shin Gallery is pleased to present Terrain, a group exhibition bringing together a diverse range of artistic perspectives spanning nearly two centuries. Rather than following a strictly chronological framework, the exhibition establishes an open dialogue across generations and geographies, exploring the universality of humanity’s connection to the earth.

Beyond aesthetics, artistic landscapes frequently offer spiritual and social commentary on human intervention and culture. A twelve-panel Joseon-period Korean screen utilizes lotus flowers rising from the mud as a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment. In dialogue with this piece, Katsushika Hokusai’s print Pilgrims at Roben Waterfall depicts nineteenth-century travelers bathing before ascending Mount Oyama, illustrating how culture and sacred geography shape our interaction with the physical world.

In the contemporary realm, artists Neil Jenney, Alan Sonfist and Choong Sup Lim explore nature within the urgent context of climate change. In today’s rapidly changing world, these artists use landscape paintings, abstract works, and mixed media to slow down and appreciate what makes our planet special. At a time when ecological concerns increasingly shape our worldview, Terrain invites reflection on humanity’s place within nature and our responsibility toward the environment. It acknowledges the natural world as both a source of enduring beauty and a fragile landscape subject to continuous change, ultimately celebrating the extraordinary possibilities of interpreting the earth through art.

Featured artists: Hokusai, Paul Cézanne, Neil Jenney, 19th-Century Korean Lotus Screen, Joseph Stella, Alan Sonfist, Choong Sup Lim, Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Mel Arzamarski, Andreas Emenius, Svavar Guðnason, Chantae Elaine Wright, Else Alfelt, Else Fischer-Hansen